Three hours later, Second Parallel World—Kannabi Bridge Base, Hokage's Office
"Are we certain she needs Link's chakra to come here?" Senju Tobirama frowned. Previously, even filling the Funa-tsū technique with Hashirama's chakra was like adding a drop in the ocean, not enough to activate the jutsu. Could that woman called Kaguya, as Black Zetsu said, really do it?
"Not sure, but her chakra is very, very, very huge," said the "first" Madara, repeating the adjective three times. "I never imagined anyone could hold so much chakra. She tried it once in front of us and failed. Whether she can succeed later is anyone's guess."
"We can't just gamble on luck," Tobirama said, rapping his knuckles on the desk. "We'll assume for now that she can't come over quickly."
"Anyway—"
Suddenly, the second Madara—reincarnated as a kid—spoke from the side: "I left the scroll containing Link's chakra in that world."
"…" Everyone in the room fell silent, looking rather speechless.
Showing no trace of guilt, the second Madara swept his gaze over them. "I stashed it in an underground lair in the Land of Wind. If they realize they can't cross over with their own chakra, they'll probably start looking for traces of where I used to be."
"Could take a while—no one knows. But if you're all going to waste time yelling at me—"
"Brother!" Tobirama shouted. The "first" Hashirama reflexively used Wood Release to bind the second Madara head to toe.
Thump! He clasped his fists and started vigorously grinding them into his old rival's skull.
"You—you—bastard!"
Thump!
He muttered a low snarl, then gave a hard knock and recovered his usual calm, saying in a breezy tone, "He's right, though. We shouldn't be wasting time."
Everyone else stood there gaping, including the "first" Madara.
Tobirama paced a couple of steps. "Link, you need to leave this world immediately and go hide in—"
"I—have something I want to tell you all," Link cut in. After a moment's hesitation, he added, "About Kaguya, I think I may know something."
He refused to meet anyone's eyes and, in a single breath, laid out everything he knew about the Ōtsutsuki clan: Black Zetsu's plot, the Moon's Eye effect, the Ten-Tails and the Divine Tree, and so on. By now, he was divulging all intel he could. In a matter of life and death, there was no point in holding back. Better to speak plainly, even if people might later question how he knew all this, or become suspicious or distant.
(Anyway, I never considered you all that important…) Link thought with an eerie calm.
"I see." Tobirama was the first to break the silence, nodding thoughtfully. "You said just now: if someone fuses the Ten-Tails and becomes its jinchūriki, they can reach the 'Six Paths Sage' level, correct?"
"That's right," Link replied frankly. "But even someone at Six Paths level would probably find it too hard to beat Kaguya. They'd likely need the actual Sage of Six Paths to grant them power—that is, the reincarnations of Indra and Asura."
The "first" Madara and "first" Hashirama exchanged glances. Neither had realized that the chakra dwelling in them had originated from a pair of brothers. Naruto and Sasuke in the manga sensed the chakra with them; so had they, just never knowing the reason it clung to them.
"Ōtsutsuki, Ten-Tails, Six Paths…" Tobirama mulled it all over. "Got it. We'll handle things here. You head off to another world and amass enough power. With your talent, one day you'll be able to defeat Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. If we fail, we'll at least confine her to these two worlds, buying you time."
"We can't cling to optimistic illusions. Whether she can or can't show up doesn't matter. We must prepare for the worst."
He opened a large scroll from a nearby cabinet. "Since we don't know how much chakra those two Black Zetsus recorded or whether they might reunite with Kaguya to track us, it's best if you go alone."
"This scroll records all the ninjutsu I've compiled recently, including some new jutsu I developed. I tried my best on the names—you get the idea," he said, letting slip a small grin. In a more relaxed tone, he added, "Then, we leave it in your hands."
"Indeed." The "first" Hashirama gave a jovial laugh. "Asking a child to shoulder so much… we're a bit ashamed, actually."
"Once again, we're counting on you, Link," said the child form of the Third Hokage in a strangely grown-up voice, bowing slightly. "Thank you for everything."
"Come on," Tsunade said, pulling out a scroll warmed by her body heat and tossing it over. "Kid, if you end up in a world like ours and run into another me—or some other medical ninja—try using the approaches written here to develop new drugs."
"Sorry we never managed to finish the medicine we promised you." She sighed. She was far too busy with a million responsibilities as Hokage, not even finding free time for her boyfriend. No chance to focus on new drug research.
The baby-faced Fourth Hokage scratched his head, seeming uncertain what to say or give.
Link gripped the big scroll in one hand and Tsunade's medical scroll in the other, looking rather overwhelmed at his "allies."
Uchiha Sasuke offered a gentle smile. "I'll protect all that's precious to you with my power."
"Best of luck," added Utakata with a small bow.
"This plan—" Link began softly.
"Of course we know," Tobirama said, rolling his eyes. In child form, he actually looked pretty cute, even doing an eye-roll. "We all decided this together."
"If—well." He sighed. "If it really doesn't work out, then don't ever come back."
"Partings are troublesome indeed," the "first" Hashirama said, resting his hand gently on his brother's small head. In a gentle tone, "Thank you, Link, for everything you've done."
Even if it was like a dream, it was a wonderful one. They had to protect the "treasure"—the precious "gem" that gave them that dream.
Turning his face aside, Link avoided meeting anyone's gaze. His voice revealed no emotion. "Since I'm temporarily leaving, I'll use up the rest of the Edo Tensei 'black sludge' I've got and reincarnate every possible ally. Strength in numbers if Kaguya invades."
"Oh, right. Sasuke, about Danzo—?"
"It's fine," Sasuke said calmly. "Let him contribute to defending this world as well."
"Mm." Link smiled, though who knew if it was genuine. He activated the Funa-tsū with Utakata, heading back to the main world's lab to reincarnate those who needed it—Danzo, the "first" Madara, all the past Kage in the Pure Land…
Shadows bustled, packing supplies into scrolls. Soon dusk came, and it was time for him to depart.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Link closed his own. His clenched fist slowly loosened. At length, he placed a hand on the Funa-tsū scroll, channeling chakra to activate the jutsu.
(A bunch of self-righteous fools. Do they really think I'll come back after hoarding all these resources? In some other world, I can thrive just fine, and gather as many Sasukes, Utakatas, Third Hokages, Tobiramas, Hashiramas as I please!)
~~~
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